Here at Wantage Town magazine, we recently got in touch with founder and director of Maymessy, Anna Richards to learn about the organisation and all that it does for the Wantage community. We touch on the future of the charity and Anna’s favourite moments, but firstly, what is Maymessy, and what do they do?
Can you tell us about what Maymessy does within the Wantage community?
We support disadvantaged groups of young people and adults in gaining greater life skills, to improve their wellbeing. We do this through a cookery school where participants can learn all sorts of things about food, from healthy eating to seasonal fruit and vegetables. We also provide up-skilling courses such as first aid and gardening. Since the pandemic began, we have paid particular attention to supporting families in Wantage who are struggling financially. We have helped around 20 mums with cooking classes using food bank ingredients and seasonal fruit and vegetables, however, we are very keen to welcome some dads in, so please do get in touch.
Currently, we are holding workshops for adults with severe mental health issues, our aim being to encourage friendships through cooking and reduce loneliness. This is simple but powerful especially after such a long pandemic where these groups may have been shielding.
We have mentored some of the Wantage ladies since they participated in cooking classes. One of whom – who we put through a photography course here at Maymessy – has since started up her own photography business and has had a photo on the front page of the Wantage gazette. We have run a series of cooking courses for adults living independently in Wantage with complex needs. This required one-to-one support and was highly rewarding as we created bespoke pictorial recipes.
We also love to have Fitzwarren kids over for ad hoc after school clubs and holiday camps to bake and have some time in the countryside. We have also had the Ridgeway school over and we’re looking forward to having new collaborations with Sweatbox and KAA. On 25 June, we will be hosting a mini-festival in collaboration with Team Mikaya in support of children with cancer. Residents are welcome via Eventbrite which will be open to view shortly. This has been postponed twice due to the pandemic.
Why do you think it is so important for communities to have access to an organisation like Maymessy?
Maymessy is different from other community spaces or education providers as we offer life skills to increase the confidence and self-esteem of the people who come here, all within a relaxed and safe space. Often, people have anxiety or mental health issues, so we provide a support network; a place for people to come and be peaceful, learn skills and make new friends. We have beautiful views of the ridgeway and fields to walk on. We are just a five-minute drive from Wantage and situated right in the countryside.
Maymessy has had enormous support from the Wantage community too, from The Mix, Sustainable Wantage, The Ray Collins Charitable Trust, Vale Community Impact and Wantage Town Council, to The Mayor and many more. We have an amazing network of local businesses like Ridgeway Bees who manage our hive, Karen at Safer Hands Training who runs the first aid, Jackie Cross photography and Kate who helps us with the shared garden. Being a community organisation is a collaboration of many organisations and a partnership.
When and why was Maymessy created?
Maymessy launched on 18 May 2017. I started my career as a teacher in Inner London Primary Schools which I loved but also saw that in a class of 30, not all the children can cope with mainstream education. I knew the system was letting some of the children down and thought there had to be another way to provide this support. I always wanted to start my own business. When I had my twin girls, I started thinking about setting up an ethical business. We moved from London to Wantage, and we built the barn that houses Maymessy from a disused cowshed and have not looked back.
Can you explain the reason behind the name?
‘Maymessy’ mixes the springiness of being outside with the joy of making a mess in the kitchen. It comes from the word ‘may-mess’, used by the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins to describe hedge blossom in full spring.
What has been your favourite experience or memory since your involvement in the organisation?
I absolutely love all the workshops and people that come into Maymessy but our first young carers class a few months after we opened was amazing. I could see that this idea and business was going to work. As far as Wantage goes, our first class of four mums who bravely came in to cook at Maymessy during the pandemic, was especially memorable. We were allowed to support them bided by government restriction but most of the chopping was done outside. Luckily, we had dry albeit freezing conditions. It makes me smile to see us all with face masks on chopping butternut squash outside with hats and coats on.
What can the community do to support Maymessy?
Come to the Team Mikayla event on 25 June and support us. We’re always looking for new groups of mums and dads who want to cook and learn new skills. Philanthropic individuals and businesses to support us financially and with equipment and skills is also really important to find, so please get in touch if you can help.
What's next for Maymessy?
Maymessy has just employed a fantastic person for one day a week. Maia is local and fantastic, and it means we can plan cooking and other workshops over the year and beyond. We also have a brilliant bunch of regular skilled local volunteers. We are looking to expand Maymessy to provide more cooking workshops and support more residents. I need time now to think more strategically and put the pandemic behind us!
